Saturday, January 9, 2010

Cindy's Mom's Broccoli Casserole

I was first served this back in the early 1980s, by a friend named Cindy. I asked for the recipe, and was handed a card that read "Mom's Broccoli Casserole", hence the name. Of course, Kathy and those to whom I 've served it call it "Scott's Broccoli Casserole". Copyright laws being what they are, I've chosen to publish it under its original name.

This has become a traditional Thanksgiving dish in the Stursa household, and I'm frequently asked for the recipe, including at the most recent turkey fest. Posting it here seems an efficient response, because now I can just say, "read the blog."

1. Cook broccoli until just tender (or, as the Italian people say, al dente), drain and let cool.
2. Dice onion.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 for you metric types).
4. Combine broccoli, mayo, soup, eggs and onion in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Try not to think about what it looks like.
6. Gently fold in the stuffing.
7. See Step 5.
8. Lightly grease the inside of a two quart casserole dish with butter (yes, I know 99% of you didn't need the word "inside", but I guess have to take into account the other 1%).
9. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, again trying not to think about what it looks like.
10. Cover with the shredded cheddar cheese, just thick enough so that you can't see any of the mix (looks better now, doesn't it?).
11. Scatter around about five or six little dabs of butter on top.
12. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Doubling up.
Double the each of the ingredients, except I usually use five eggs. Our larger casserole dish is only two inches deep (10 by 10 inches square) and the quantity is a bit much for that, so I usually put some of the mix and cheese into a "petite" casserole, partly to ensure that I still have some after the dinner party. Also I usually up the cooking temp a bit (to 360) and increase the cooking time to 35 minutes.